The present invention relates generally to a search engine results declumping method used in ecommerce. Particularly, the present invention relates to both systems and methods for introducing variety into the results a search engine provides based off indexed data on available non-stock (customizable) products on an ecommerce site.
Traditional ecommerce sites allow for a user to search the site's non-stock product catalog based off keyword searches and typically return products which have been indexed as matching one or more of the keywords in the user's search. This traditional style of searching likely displays several relevant results to the user, but does not account for more in depth data which can be indexed and factored into a search for products. Information such as item's physical characteristics, similar alternatives, production schedules, and potential shipping methods are all very important real world business concerns which are not accounted for in a traditional ecommerce search.
To illustrate this point, if a user was to search on a traditional ecommerce site they would start with entering a keyword search for the product they sought (e.g., a stress ball). The search engine would then examine the indexed data for products in its database, looking for products indexed as relating to the terms searched (e.g., “stress” and “ball”). The results then displayed by the search engine would amount to every product in the ecommerce site's inventory related to the search term. For larger ecommerce sites, this poses an issue because the number of related products could be in the thousands.
To tackle this issue, most sites have begun using different optimization techniques to display the most relevant results first in this list of products displayed. This optimization is typically done off the strongest match to the search terms (e.g., products that are indexed under both “stress” and “ball”). This method, however, does not account for practical business concerns such as which products can be produced and shipped the fastest nor, if there are multiple versions of a product available, which of these versions is the most relevant to the user. Another downfall of this traditional searching method is that only one type of product (e.g., stress balls) is likely to be displayed to a prospective customer without the seller having a chance to present other related products (e.g., beach balls or novelty shaped stress relievers) that may interest the consumer more.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods capable of introducing variety into the results a search engine provides based off indexed data of available non-stock products on an ecommerce site.